China's research vessel finishes investigation of seamounts in Western Pacific

Photo taken on June 15, 2019 shows Discovery, a remote operated vehicle aboard KEXUE, returning from the sea in western Pacific Ocean. China's research vessel KEXUE (Science) finished its investigation of seamounts in the west of the Pacific Ocean and started to sail back on Saturday evening. KEXUE is scheduled to arrive in Xiamen of China's Fujian Province on June 23. (Xinhua/Zhang Xudong)

ABOARD KEXUE, June 15 (Xinhua) -- China's research vessel KEXUE (Science) finished its investigation of seamounts in the west of the Pacific Ocean and started to sail back on Saturday evening.

During the expedition, Discovery, a remote operated vehicle aboard KEXUE, made 19 dives and captured more than 800 collections of biological samples, including corals, sponges, shrimps and shellfishes.

"There are about 250 species in the collections, amounting for the total species we had collected in two expeditions in past few years," said Xu Kuidong, chief scientist aboard and a researcher of Chinese Academy of Sciences.

These samples will help scientists to research biological diversities, ecological systems and biological of the seamounts, according to Xu.

Besides, Discovery photographed some "seabed gardens" with colorful corals, sponges and brittle stars in the seamounts, which are hardly seen in tropical zone of the western Pacific Ocean.

KEXUE is scheduled to arrive in Xiamen of China's Fujian Province on June 23.